Floods Paralyze Romania, Eastern Hungary

Disastrous flooding continues to grip Romania and Hungary, where rushing
rivers have already claimed several lives and threatened hundreds of others.

At least nine people have died in Romania and one in Hungary from high water,
which has covered the areas around many major rivers since last week.

As many as 1,100 soldiers have rescued 600 people from regions threatened by
the rising water in the past seven days, according to Romania's National Defense
Ministry. Scores of others have been taken from their flooded homes by boat in
neighboring eastern Hungary.

Heavy rain and melting snow over the past week are blamed for the sharp rises
in water levels along the Tisza River and its tributaries in eastern Hungary.
The highest grade of flood alert is already in force along portions of the
river.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared a state of emergency in
eastern Hungary Saturday in response to the flood threat. Thousands of soldiers
continued work over the weekend to strengthen dams to hold back the rising
waters.

Romania's southern river ports of Calafat, about 155 miles southwest of
Bucharest, and Bechet, 124 miles to the southwest are most at risk from the
rising waters this week, government officials said.

The recent flooding in Romania follows dangerous floods that struck the
northern portions of the country in January. Heavy rains caused two dams to
overflow, discharging polluted waters containing cyanide and heavy metals into
several European rivers.

BUDAPEST - Water levels fell in eastern Hungary on Sunday after the worst
floods in years, but work continued at full speed to strengthen dams amid
warnings of fresh flooding, government officials said.

An emergency flood alert is in force along the Tisza river and its
tributaries after heavy rains and melting snow. Traffic routes have been closed
by water and more than 100 people have been evacuated.

But Transport, Telecommunications and Water Minister Kalman Katona said there
would be no need for more large-scale evacuations after flood-water was diverted
into an emergency reserve to reduce the danger. Little rain is expected for the
next week but meteorologists have warned of possible floods later in the month.

"We have enough time until the crest expected for between April 20 and
24...to carry out the needed protection work," Katona told reporters.

Dams raised during last year's record floods are now being built up still
further in the expectation that water levels will reach new highs in coming
weeks.

Officials said 16,600 people would be needed for flood prevention work, which
would cost about 10.5 billion forints ($38.75 million). Ministry officials said
Romania had asked for help from Hungary after a dam on the Feher Koros river
broke on the Romanian side of the joint border.

Water was flooding through a breach 200 meters (yards) wide and Hungarian
officials had travelled to the area to assess the damage and see what aid could
be given to Romania, the officials said.

The Tisza was one of several rivers polluted by spills of cyanide and heavy
metals from Romania over the past month.

Katona said the floods would flush out some of the pollution that remained in
the rivers, but would not threaten people living downstream since the
concentration of toxic material was low.